High school football teams have 3 weeks to figure out playoff path
High school football playoff analysis
Trending
There is still plenty to be decided in the high school football landscape before the final postseason field is set, but it's worth taking a look at where things stand with three weeks in the regular season left.
Class 6A
The District 6 Class 6A playoffs will be a little different this season.
Instead of Altoona taking on State College in a straightforward game as the only two 6A schools in the district, the playoff bracket will also feature District 8 and District 10, meaning McDowell, Erie and Allderdice are also in play.
Four teams will make it, and the way it stands right now the third-seeded Mountain Lions would travel to second-seeded McDowell, but Altoona is just 20 power points behind and still has a couple good opportunities at wins over the final three weeks.
Erie would play at State College, though Erie is 2-5, so it's not certain it will enter the postseason.
Class 5A
If the postseason started today, Hollidaysburg would host DuBois in the District 6-9 championship, but Mifflin County is also still alive, 230 power points back to take one of those spots and DuBois is just 60 power points from Hollidaysburg.
The winner of that game will travel to the District 2 champion on Nov. 13, which will be either Pittston or Abington Heights, and the winner of that will play the District 11 champion the weekend of Nov. 20.
Class 4A
Just one team has a winning record in District 6 at this level, and no one else is really close.
Bellefonte is 4-3 and in the driver's seat with 490 power points while Forest Hills is second at 2-5 with 200.
Johnstown is 1-6 but plays at Penns Valley this week with a chance to tie the Rangers.
Central Mountain and Claysburg-Kimmel are both 0-7.
The winner will play the District 4 champion in the state playoffs the weekend of Nov. 20.
Class 3A
This often-talked about four-team bracket might be the most interesting one in the area in District 6.
Cambria Heights currently leads the field at 7-0, but with just 790 power points, the Highlanders would suffer greatly if they have any slip ups in tough upcoming games against Conemaugh Township and Homer-Center.
Central at 6-1 is just 30 points behind Cambria Heights, but the Scarlet Dragons host third-seeded Central Cambria, at 730 points, this week.
At 5-2 but with just 580 points, Penn Cambria currently holds the fourth and final spot. The Panthers should be in good shape if they take care of business against Tyrone this week as they take on one-win Johnstown in Week 9.
Philipsburg-Osceola is still very much alive with a 4-3 record and 470 points, and Huntingdon and Tyrone are still alive with 380 points and 3-4 records but will need help.
One of the more interesting sidenotes about this classification is that only four teams make it in District 6, because a subregional against the winner of the District 5-8-9 bracket needs to be played on the weekend of Nov. 20.
But Bedford leads that pack with a 2-5 record over Carrick (1-5) and Somerset (1-6), so it's possible the District 6 champion could even get a bye that week if none of those teams choose to enter the postseason.
The winner of that game, if there is a game, will play the District 10 champion the next week.
Class 2A
Two teams remain unbeaten in District 6 Class 2A -- Richland and Mount Union -- and they are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively.
The Trojans have to finish the season against some of the better Inter-County Conference teams -- Moshannon Valley, Southern Huntingdon and Windber -- but will be considered favorites in all of those games.
Richland plays Bellefonte and Bedford before its Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference crossover game, which will likely be a rematch against Bishop Guilfoyle Academy for the LHAC title.
Bellwood-Antis is currently third and could still pass Mount Union with a 3-0 finish, because the Blue Devils are just 50 points behind the Trojans and will close out against bigger schools with the chance to earn more power points.
Eight teams make the postseason in District 6, and the top four get home field advantage in the first round. Assuming the Trojans and B-A both win their quarterfinal game, the team that finishes higher would get to host the semifinal game.
Interestingly, if the playoffs started today, the Blue Devils would play Southern Huntingdon in the first round and Mount Union in the second if the seeds held -- two ICC teams, the league B-A left for the LHAC.
In District 5, Berlin Brothersvalley holds a slight ratings lead over North Star with both teams at 6-1. Chestnut Ridge, the defending champion which plays an arguably tougher schedule in the LHAC, is third and Everett is 0-7 with two forfeits below the Lions.
The District 5 champion will play the District 8-9 winner the weekend of Nov. 20, and the District 6 winner will play the District 10 champion the next week.
Class 1A
Eight teams also make the District 6 Class 1A playoffs, down from 12 a few years ago.
Bishop Guilfoyle Academy already has 930 power points and firm control of the No. 1 seed even if the Marauders end up losing another game before the end of the regular season.
Juniata Valley is ranked No. 4 currently and in line to host a playoff game, but Bishop McCort has been slowly moving up the rankings since a tough start and is now just 40 points behind the Green Hornets.
Glendale is also currently in the playoff field locally but will likely open the postseason on the road. Portage is out of the field right now but still alive and has work to do, which begins with a very important game against United Valley on Friday.
The winner of that bracket will take on either the District 3 or District 5 champion on the weekend of Nov. 27.
The current top seed in District 5 is Conemaugh Township, which has a very tough game at Cambria Heights this Friday. Defending champion Meyersdale is second with Windber at No. 3 and Northern Bedford -- which is coming off a win over Meyersdale -- in fourth.
The Black Panthers have a big game at home against Windber next week that will play a major role in the District 5 standings.
Tussey Mountain, at 0-7, will not make the playoff field.
The District 5 champion will take on the District 3 champion at a District 5 neutral site the weekend of Nov. 20.